Rosenfelt,
David. Dead Center. Mysterious Press. May 2006. c.310p. ISBN
0-89296-002-7. $24.95. Mystery.
New Jersey-based defense
attorney Andy Carpenter is having a hard time forgetting his
former lover Laurie Collins. Four months earlier, Laurie returned
to her hometown of Findley, WI, where she has become
the acting chief of police. Now, making matters worse (or better,
perhaps), Laurie calls asking for his help with a murder case.
She has arrested a young man for the stabbing deaths of two
girls but believes he may be innocent. The victims were both
from nearby Center City, a secretive community controlled by
a bizarre cult. As Andy prepares to defend the accused by trying
to find the real killer, one of his assistants is murdered.
And then, a material witness, the ex-boyfriend of one of the
victims, is found hanged. In his fifth Andy Carpenter novel,
Rosenfelt (Sudden Death) tells a fast-paced story that’s
hard to put down, a mystery spiced with interesting characters
and brightened by the flames of a rekindled love affair. Recommended
for all mystery collections.